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Hockey is a Great Game

By: Urther Queen

Most people would be surprised to learn that hockey isn't the national sport of Canada, considering the country's love affair with the game. Many people in Canada eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. Hockey is defiantly a Canadian sport, although its roots are in Ireland, back when it was called Hurley. In the 1800s hockey became very popular throughout Canada, especially the East coast, and its infectious nature has caught on all over the world.

In 1917, a league was formed to guide the play among professional hockey teams. This league, the National Hockey League (NHL) originally consisted of five teams. But the numbers quickly grew and by the end of the century there would be 30 teams from all over Canada and the USA. For many fans, hockey is serious business.

While the US teams have dominated the hockey playoffs, called the Stanley Cup, in recent years, the sport still has a bigger following in Canada. Hockey Night in Canada is quite an event in many households and sports bars. Several teams in Canada have fallen by the wayside in the past several years such as the Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques. This is an unfortunate cause of the high player salaries.

Hockey stars are able to demand high salaries for their game. In part, this is what leads some of the top players to teams in the US. Some Canadian teams find it challenging to keep their homegrown players thanks to high salary demands. This is one of the issues in the 2004 NHL dispute that resulted a curtailed season.

Hockey is a very violent game, and spectators love to watch the opposing team get crushed against the boards. Many people wonder what this is teaching young fans and, unfortunately, violence is very common in the little leagues. Many leagues have adopted a no tolerance policy for aggressive play, and some have banned this type of contact all together. The NHL however, has yet to follow suit.

Some of the parents at little league hockey games have become a bit too passionate in recent years. An increasing number of fights between parents and verbal and physical abuse against referees and coaches have prompted many people to shy away from the sport or putting their children in after school hockey programs. It's a frightening prospect when the parents care more about who wins than the kids do.

No matter what happens though, hockey will always be a popular game in North America. Europe enjoys much success in the hockey world as well. Recent world championships have highlighted little known places such as Belarus. Anywhere you can find frozen ponds in the winter are the perfect place for a little ice hockey. This isn't always the case though, look at the Los Angeles Kings!

In North America one of the best-loved games is Hockey. Many fans are hopeful that there will be at least a few games this 2004/2005 NHL season. Farm teams and minor leagues are still playing so at least fans can get to see some hockey. To feel the excitement in the air and understand what the fuss is all about then be sure to check out a game at your local area. This is why hockey is so popular.

Article Source: http://www.simplepetcare.com/pet-articles

Urther Queen is the owner and operator of UQ Hockey, the web's premier resource for information about hockey, For questions or comments about this article visit: www.uqhockey.com/articles
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